Child support - Departure Prohibition Orders (DPOs)

Question

Senator RUSTON: What was the modelling that said $10,000 was the threshold limit for automatic application? What would be the circumstance of a debt owed that was slightly under? What would be a scenario where you would think it was okay for somebody who had an $8,500 debt to go overseas without paying the debt? Ms Power: The threshold has been set, I guess on a preliminary basis, at a quite high debt level. Legislative changes will be required to enable this new type of DPO to be issued. The intention is to allow the threshold and the definition of what a frequent traveller is to be determined through some form of regulatory instrument. The intention is to start with a $10,000 debt threshold, assess how that works in the first instance, and then consider whether a different debt threshold would be appropriate. Senator RUSTON: As we're sitting here today, how many people have a debt higher than $10,000? Ms Power: I don't think I have exactly that data on hand, but we can provide that on notice. I can tell you that, as a result of the policy change, by mid-2028 we expect that up to 3,000 additional DPOs will be issued to parents who meet the criteria.

Answer

Please see attached answer.

Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• DSS SQ26-000709.pdf (opens in a new tab)